ASK IRA: Is it time to move beyond the past with Dragic?

Q: Now that the Heat are officially in rebuild/youth mode, will Pat Riley admit or regret giving away those two first-round picks for Goran Dragic? -- Rodney, Sarasota.

A: Sometimes it feels like I'm answering the same question over and over, whether it's about the reasoning for drafting Justise Winslow or the decision to trade for Dragic. In each case the answer is the same: Until this summer, decisions made by the Heat were made with the hope that Chris Bosh could be back with the team and that Dwyane Wade would be a Heat player for the balance of his career. Under that scenario, the Heat not only were in win-now mode, but positioned to minimize the sting of those first-round picks sent to the Suns. No one could have forecast even a year ago that Bosh, who said he was not genetically predisposed to a relapse with blood clots, would indeed have such a relapse. That changed everything, including the reasoning with Wade in the offseason. So does Riley regret giving up a pair of first-round picks to the Suns for Dragic? No, he regrets Chris Bosh having to go through this awful medical episode that will forever change Chris Bosh's life. The basketball part is ancillary, just as with any consternation over selecting Winslow ahead of Devin Booker. The world, from a basketball standpoint, was a far different place then for the Heat with Bosh and Wade than it is now.

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Q: Goran Dragic needs to be dealt. Tyler Johnson can run point guard and Josh Richardson and Justise Winslow are good enough ballhandlers. I've always been a fan of Goran, but his playing style never suited this team, never will in my opinion. Maybe we could get a first round pick or a decent forward (which we absolutely need).. -- Gunter, Berlin.

A: I disagree about your point regarding style, with the Heat for years searching for a point guard who could create pace, and create easy points. And it certainly worked over the second half of last season. But, again, that was with Dwyane Wade on the roster and the possibility of Chris Bosh returning. What this time without Goran could do is open the Heat's eyes to other possibilities on the roster. Or, instead, open their eyes for the need of something closer to a true point guard, perhaps even raising question about the decision to move on beyond Beno Udrih. Tyler Johnson actually did a nice job moving the ball Monday against the Spurs.

Q: In last year's playoffs many of the Heat players stood around and watched Dwayne Wade. They gave him the ball and got out of his way. You got the feeling one of the reasons for Pat Riley letting Dwyane Wade walk was he wanted the young players to have a chance to grow. In fact, Riley said after Wade left, he would see who on the Heat would step up. Erik Spoelstra now talks about the Hear getting it done by committee. My question to you is: Do you think Spoelstra can coach getting it done by committee? He had Dwayne Wade for nine years and has basically coached superstars throughout his coaching career. -- Stuart.

A: I don't think any coach can win to any significant degree by committee. And I'm not sure that even Spoelstra believes that. It's what you have to say when you don't have a A-list scoring talent. I thought Goran Dragic might emerge as that, but that has been put on hold. So you say what you have to say, and then you hope to unearth that gem either in the draft or during free agency. As it is, the reason the Heat stayed in Monday's game was because of Dion Waiters' one-man shot. But it was only one night. Sustainable? His track record says otherwise.